Balloon-confining apparatus for spinning and twisting machines



Jan. 24, 1967 K. NIMTZ 3,299,624

BALLOON CONFINING APPARATUS FOR SPINNING AND TWISTING MACHINES I FiledSept. 1, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 24, 1967 K. NIMTZBALLOON-CONFINING APPARATUS FOR SPINNING Jan. 24, 1967 AND TWISTINGMACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 1, 1965 nn iiliirii? Jan. 24, 1967K. NIMT 3,299,624

BALLOON-CONFINING APPARATUS FOR SPINNING AND TWISTING MACHINES FiledSept. 1, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Jan. 24, 1967 K; NIMTZ 3,299,624

BALLOON'CONFINING APPARATUS FOR SPINNING AND TWISTING MACHINES FiledSept. 1, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent 13 Claims. (c1.57-108) The present invention relates to a balloon-confining apparatusfor spinning and twisting machines, which includes a balloon-confiningmantle of a foil made of a wear-resistant flexible material as forinstance sheet metal or of synthetic material such aspolytetrafiuorethylene. Such foil is bent into a tubular configurationwith a circular or polygonal cross section and is at least along one ofits end edges detachably connected to holding means.

The employment of detachably connected foil strips as balloon-confiningmeans has the advantage that such foil strips or foils when worn out orgreatly soiled can easily be exchanged for new foils without thenecessity of detaching the holding means for the foils from the machineframe. loom-confining means are yieldable in radial direction to acertain extent which in turn reduces the wear while allowing aself-centering of the foil strip within the range of the thread contactor thread engagement. Holding means for such foil-confining membersusually consist of annular bodies to which the edges or marginalportions of the foil stripare clamped. These foil strips are providedwith special clamping means and flanges for connection to the machineframe. With balloon-confining means of this type, lint and dust and dustballs form between the balloon-confining foils on the annular bodies andthe clamping means. Such lint, dust and dust balls get detached from therespective elements where they form and by air flows are carried intothe range of the thread so that they produce faulty yarn sections.Moreover, it is disadvantageous that the foil strips are exposed to theoutside and are thus unprotected toward the outside.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide aballoon-confining apparatus and especially holding means forballoon-confining means, which will make it possible to arrange theballoon-confining apparatuses on one machine side adjacent to each otherin such a way that they form a closed unit while the individual holdingmeans for the balloon-confining means can nevertheless be detached fromthe machine independently of each other.

It is another object of this invention to provide a balloon-confiningapparatus in which the foil strips are so located as to be protectedwhile any material air flow through the apparatus from below in axialdirection of the spindle will be prevented.

It is still another object of this invention to provide aballoon-confining apparatus as set forth above, in which the individualfoils can easily be exchanged without removing the holding means for thefoils.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear moreclearly fromthe following specification in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a block-shaped holding member forballoon-confining means, which holding member has its rear wallconnected to a part of a machine frame.

FIG. 2 is a holding device for balloon-confining means which is somewhatsimilar to that of FIG. 1 and differs therefrom primarily in that theholding device is con- In addition thereto, such foils as bal-v3,299,624 Patented Jan. 24, 1967 ICE nected by two legs on oppositesides of a spindle bearing section to a spindle rail.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view and partial section of a two-for-onetwisting spindle with a holder for balloon- 5 confining means as shownin FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates an isometric view of a block-shaped holder forballoon-confining means, which holder has its bottom connected directlyto the spindle rail.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section through the arrangement of FIG. 3, saidsection being taken along the line V-V of FIG. 3 while the spindle andthe parts pertaining thereto have been removed.

A balloon-confining device according to the present invention ischaracterized primarily in that the holder for the balloon-confiningfoil or the like includes a blockshaped housing, especially squareblock-shaped housing, having one side thereof, especially the frontside, provided with a threading slot, while the maximum width of saidholder does not exceed the spacing between the spindles. The bottom ofthe block-shaped holder is provided with a passage for the spindlerotor, while the top wall of the holder has an opening approximatelycorresponding to the path of movement of the yarn along the tubularballoon-confining member. This opening receives the foil strip the uppermarginal portion of which is detachably connected to the marginalportion of the opening confining wall of the holder. Instead, also thelower edge of the balloon-confining foil may be detachably connected tothe bottom of the holder, or according to another embodiment of theinvention the tubular balloonconfining foil may be detachably connectedto the threading slot confining edges.

In this way, a holder for balloon-confining means is provided whichtogether with the adjacent block-shaped holders will form a hollow beamwhich may extend over the length of the spinning or twisting machinewhile nevertheless permitting the removal and exchange of theballoon-confining means and holders independently of each other and ofthe other holders. The insertion of the foil strip as balloon-confiningmeans assures a certain self-centering of the mantle section acted uponby the yarn. Moreover, there exists the possibility of connecting theholder for the balloon-confining means to the machine coaxially withregard to the spindle axis and in such a way that to a certain extent itcan be moved in the longitudinal direction of the machine relative tothe adjacent holder by making the width of the holders somewhat lessthan the spacing between the spindles, while the spaces between theholders may be filled in by corresponding filler strips or shims.

For the sake of completeness, it may be added that balloon-confiningmeans are known the inner wall of which is surrounded by a stabilizingbox and consists of a single piece therewith. Such a stabilizing box hasprecisely the width which corresponds to the spindle spacing. The heightof such known stabilizing box equals the heights of the inner wall ofthe balloon-confining means, and the depth corresponds approximately tothe spacing of the spindle. Each of these known balloon-confining meanswith stabilizing box positively engages by said box the respectiveadjacent stabilizing box. The fact that the stabilizing box and theballoon-confining means consists of a single integral piece, makesimpossible a self-centering of the inner wall. Moreover, when the innerwall has worn, the entire arrangement, i.e. the inner wall together withthe stabilizing box has to be exchanged.

It has also been suggested to form stabilizing boxes by connecting wallsections at the spindle spacing in such a Way that one-half extends onone side and other half on the other side of a spindle spacing and wheninterconnected form a hollow beam extending along the machine.Cylindrical thin-walled sleeves are inserted in such hollow beam andform the inner wall of the individual balloon-confining means. Such anarrangement causes considerable installation difiiculties, and inparticular a centering of the balloon-confining walls with regard to thespindle aXis in case of tolerances is impossible. It is not possible todetach individual balloon-confiining units from the machine but insteadit is necessary to remove the balloon-confining means of a machine sideby rows or as an entire unit.

In contrast thereto, the present invention provides for individualholders for balloon-confining means, in which the foil strips can beexchanged individually while the holders for the balloon-confining meansof one machine side can similar to heretofore known arrangements be soinstalled as to form a hollow beam extending along the machine, in whichthe individual balloon-confining means are located.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the bottom of theblock-shaped housing according to the invention may be provided with acircular or polygonal groove into which the lower edge of the foil stripmay be inserted. The foil strip may be arrested at the top or at thebottom of the block. In some instances, it will suffice to hold the foilstrip at the top or ceiling wall only so that the lower marginal portionis able to a certain extent to yield radially. However, it is alsopossible to hold the lower marginal portion of the foil strip only sothat in this instance a certain yielding or oscillation of the uppermarginal portion will be possible. Furthermore, the foil strip at theupper and lower marginal portions can be held by the top wall or thebottom wall in such a way that both marginal portions will have a radialplay so that the foil strip is able to move radially in its entirety.

In addition thereto, the elasticity of the foil strip permits a yieldingof the balloon-confining means with regard to the thread engaging thesame.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the arrangement shown thereincomprises a square block-shaped housing 1 forming the holder forballoon-confining means, which holder has its rear wall 2 directlyconnected to a rail 3 of the machine frame. The block-shaped housing 1may be cast of metal, for instance aluminum, or of synthetic material,for instance polytetrafluorethylene. However, if desired, housing 1 mayalso be made of metal strips bent accordingly and soldered or weldedtogether. The front wall 4 of housing 1 is provided with a threadingslot 5. The top wall 6, the side wall 8, and the bottom 7 are preferablyformed of one single piece and are connected to the rear wall 2 bywelding, soldering, riveting, or by screws. The top wall 6 has asubstantially circular opening 9 the marginal portion of which is formedinto an upwardly directed annular rib 10. Inserted into opening 9 fromthe top is a cylindrical elastic foil strip 16 (FIG. 3) of metal orsynthetic material as, for instance polytetrafluorethylene. The uppermarginal portion 15 of said foil strip is outwardly flanged or foldedover so as to extend over the annular rib 10. In this way, foil strip 16is by means of its upper rim held on the top wall 6 with or withoutradial play. The lower marginal portion of foil strip 16 may be freelysuspended in the housing 1 or, if desired, may with or without radialplay be held at the bottom 7. In order to facilitate the threading andsimultaneously to give the foil strip 16 additional support, thelongitudinal edges of the foil strip may be detachably connected to themarginal portions of the threading slot on housing 1 so that the upperand lower rims of the foil strip may be movable radially.

More specifically, the longitudinal edges of the foil strip 16 mayextend within the range of the threaded slot 5 and may be folded overoutwardly and held at the edges of the threaded slot 5 in front wall 4,as shown, for instance, in FIG. 5.

Bottom 7 of the box-shaped housing 1 may be provided with a furtheropening having a diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of thecylindrical foil. Instead, however, the opening in the said bottom 7 mayalso be such that its diameter corresponds to the diameter of thespindle rotor in the plane of said bottom 7.

The embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 2 substantiallycorresponds to that of FIG. 1 and, therefore, corresponding parts havebeen designated with the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1. Thedifference in the arrangement of FIG. 2 over that of FIG. 1 consists inthat housing 1 of FIG. 2 has its bottom connected to a spindle rail 11by means of two legs 13 connected to spindle rail 11 on opposite sidesof the bearing means 12 for the spindle. FIG. 3 illustrates atwo-for-one twisting spindle with a holder for balloon-confining means,which holder or housing is similar to that of FIG. 2. As will be seenfrom FIG. 3, the bottom wall 7 has an opening 14 the diameter of whichcorresponds to the opening 9 in the top wall 6. FIG. 3 also shows howthe upper margin 15 of the cylindrical foil strip 16 engages the annulargroove 17 and the opening 9 in bottom wall 6. The lower marginal portionof foil strip 16 engages an annular groove 18 confining the opening 14in bottom wall 7.

According to a further development of the present invention, the opening14 in the bottom wall of housing 1 may be closed by a bottom plate frombelow, which may be detachably connected to the bottom wall and whichhas a passage for the whorl or the spindle neck. More specifically, arectangular-shaped bottom plate 19 is screwed onto the bottom wall 7. Itwill be seen from FIG. 3 that bottom plate 19 completely closes housing1 from below, with the exception of the circular opening 29 throughwhich whorl 21 extends. Above bottom plate 19 there is provided aturntable 22 with a thread storage disc 23 the outer diameter of whichis less than the diameter of opening 14. The bobbin carrier, generallydesignated 24, is provided with a protective basket 25 having connectedthereto magnets 26 arranged approximately between the upper and loweredges of said basket 25. Magnets 26 have associated therewithcounter-magnets 27 arranged at approximately the same level as magnets26 and connected to the inside of housing 1, preferably near the cornersthereof. These counter-magnets 27 are supported by supporting members 33connected in any convenient manner to the walls 8 of housing 1, aslikewise shown in FIG. 5. Front housing wall 4 is along the threadedslot 5 bent inwardly so that the radially outwardly bent longitudinaledges of foil strip 16 can be rested on adjacent housing wall sections.According to the specific embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the foil edgesrest in longitudinal grooves 4a provided in those edge portions of wall4 which confine the threading slot 5.

The connection of the block-shaped housing 1 to the spindle rail of thearrangement shown in FIG. 3 may be effected in the same manner as shownin FIG. 2 by means of two supporting members 13 (one only being shown inFIG. 3) on opposite sides of the spindle bearing means 12 (FIG. 2).

As will furthermore be seen from FIG. 3, cylindrical elastic foil 1.6which, instead of being cylindrical, may also be of a polygonalcross-section, can without difliculty be lifted upwardly out of housing1 and may be replaced by another foil when it has worn down or is soiledto a major extent. All parts of the spindle which are above the bottomwall 7 of block-shaped housing 1 are covered and are thus protectedagainst soil. This is of particular importance for the magnets 27 which,in conformity with the present invention are arranged in a closedchamber between foil 16 and housing 1. When being installed, theindividual holders for the balloon-confining means will, according toFIG. 3, be arranged one adjacent the other on the spindle rail whilebetween the individual holders 1 filling strips may be inserted in orderto compensate for tolerances in the size of the housing or block. Inview of this fact, the width of housing 1 is preferably selectedslightly less than the'spacing between the spindles. The individualhousings or holders for the balloon-confining means will, in installedcondition, yield a practically continuous beam housing therein theindividual balloonconfining means. i i

FIG. 4 illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention with aholder or housing 1, as shown in FIG. 1. However,- in contrast to FIG.1, housing 1 rests directly by means of its bottom 7 on a spindle rail28 which,

similar to the arrangement of FIG. 2, is provided with bearing means forthe spindle the whorl 29 of which is located below spindle rail 28.Spindle rail 28 has a downwardly extending flange 30 with an inwardlydirected arm 31 by means of which whorl 29' is covered toward the frontand toward the bottom. Spindle 29 has an extension extending belowflange 31 and adapted to be engaged selectively by a brake lever 32 forbraking the spindle.

As will be evident from the above-mentioned embodiments of theinvention, block-shaped housings forming holders for theballoon-confining means can be mounted in various manners inasmuch asthey may be connected to frame sections or directly to the'spindle rail.Moreover, it is irrelevant in which manner the journalling and the driveof the spindle are effected. At any rate, the connection of the holderor housing for the balloon-confining means may be adapted to therespective prevailing conditions.

As mentioned before, while the foil strip 16 has been described above asa cylindrical tubular member, it is obvious that it can also have apolygonal cross-section without in any way changing its arrangement inand connection with said housing. It is, of course, evident that in casethe foil strip is of a polygonal shape, the recesses 9 and holdinggrooves or ribs will have to be designed correspondingly polygonally,with or without radial play, for the foil strip held thereby.

It is, of course, to be understood, that the present invention is, by nomeans, limited to the particular arrangements shown in the drawings, butalso comprises any modifications within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What I--claim is:

1. A balloon-confining unit for spinning and twisting machines, whichincludes: a tubular balloon-confining foil, and a box-shaped casinghousing said balloon-confining foil and having a top and bottom wall andalso a front and rear wall and two side walls, said top wall having anopening therethrough for selective insertion of said foil into and itsWithdrawal from the interior of said casing, one of said walls beingprovided with means for removably supponting said foil, said bottom wallbeing provided with a passage for permitting the passage therethrough ofspindle means, and said front wall having a longitudinal passagetherethrough for permitting threading a yarn through said passage.

2. A balloon-confining unit according to claim 1, in which the upper endof said tubular foil forms an outwardly folded-over portion of saidfoil, and in which that marginal portion of said top wall which confinesthe opening therethrough is provided with groove means for receivingsaid folded-over portion of said foil.

3. A balloon-confining unit according to claim 1, in which said bottomwall is provided with groove means receiving and supporting the loweredge of said balloonconfining foil.

4. A balloon-confining unit according to claim 1, in which thosemarginal portions of said casing which confine said longitudinal passageare provided with groove means receiving and detachably holding saidballoon-confining foil.

5. A balloon-confining unit for spinning and twisting machines, whichincludes: a tubular balloon-confining foil, and a box-shaped casinghousing said balloon-confining foil and having a top and bottom wall andalso a front and rear wall and two side walls, said top wall having anopening therethrough for selective insertion of said foil into and itswithdrawal from the interior of said casing, one of said walls beingprovided with means for removably supporting said foil, said bottom wallbeing provided with an opening therethrough, that marginal portion ofsaid bottom wall which confines the opening therein being provided withgroove means receiving and supporting the lower end of saidballoon-confining foil.

6. A balloon-confining unit for spinning and twisting machines, whichincludes: a tubular balloon-confining foil, a box-shaped casing housingsaid balloon-confining foil and having a top and bottom wall and also afront and rear wall and two side walls, said top wall having an openingtherethrough for selective insertion of said foil into and itswithdrawal from the interior of said casing, one of said walls beingprovided with means for removably supporting said foil, saidbottom wallbeing provided with an opening therethrough, that marginal portion ofsaid bottom wall which confines the opening therein being provided withgroove means receiving and supporting the lower end of saidballoon-confining foil, and cover plate means detachably connected tosaid bottom wall from the outside thereof and provided with passagemeans for permitting the passage of spindle means therethrough.

7. A balloon-confining unit for spinning and twisting machines, whichincludes: a balloon-confining foil strip bent into tubular shape withthe outer longitudinal marginal portions bent outwardly and confining alongitudinal passage, and a box-shaped casing housing saidballoon-confining foil and having a top and a bottom wall and also afront and a rear wall and two side walls, said top wall having anopening therethrough for selective insertion of said foil into and itswithdrawal from the interior of said casing, said bottom wall beingprovided with a passage for permitting the passage of spindle meanstherethrough, and said front wall having longitudinal passage meansarranged in substantial alignment with the passage confined by theoutwardly bent portions of said foil strip, those marginal portions ofsaid front wall which confine the passage means flherethrough detachablysupporting said outwardly bent portions of said foil strip.

8. A balloon-confining unit for spinning and twisting machines, whichincludes: a tubular balloon-confining foil, a box-shaped casing housingsaid balloon-confining foil and having a top and a bottom wall and also\having a front and a rear wall and two side walls, said top wall havingan opening therethroug h for selective insertion of said foil into andits withdrawal from the interior of said casing, one of said walls beingprovided with means for removably supporting said foil, said bottom wallbeing provided with a passage for permitting the passage therethrough ofspindle means, said front wall having a longitudinal passagetherethrough for permitting the threading of a yarn therethrough,stationarily arranged bobbin carrier means located within said casingand provided with first magnetic means, and second magnetic meansarranged at approximately the level of said first magnetic means andbeing inter -posed between said foil and said casing while beingsupported by the latter.

9. A balloon-confining unit according to claim 8, which includes bracketmeans arranged at the corners of said casing and supporting said secondmagnetic means.

10. A balloon-confining unit for spinning and twisting machines, whichincludes a tubular balloon-confining foil, and a box-shaped casinghousing said balloon-confining foil and having a top and a bottom walland also having a front and a rear wall and two side walls, said topwall having an opening therethrough for selective insertion of said foilinto and its withdrawal from the interior of said casing, and connectedmeans connected to the outside of one of said walls for connection witha machine frame, one of said walls being provided with means forremovably supporting said foil, said bottom wall being provided with apassage for permitting the passage therethrough of spindle means, andsaid front wall having a longitudinal passage therethrouglh forpermitting the threading of a yarn through said longitudinal passage.

11. A balloon-confining unit according to claim 10, in which saidconnecting means comprise two leg members arranged in spacedrelationship to each other for connection with a spindle rail onopposite sides of the bearing means for a spindle.

12. A balloon-confining unit for connection with a textile machinehaving a plurality of spindles substantially uniformly spaced from eachother, which comprises: a tubular balloon-confining foil, and abox-shaped casing housing said balloon-confining foil and having a topand a bottom wall and also a front and a rear wall and two side walls,said top wall having an opening therethrough for selective insertion ofsaid foil into and its Withdrawal from the interior of said casing, oneof said walls being provided with means for removably supporting saidfoil, said front wall having a width not exceeding the spacing betweentwo adjacent spindles, said bottom wall being provided with a passagefor permitting the passage therethrough of spindle means, and said frontwall having a longitudinal passage therethrough for permittingthethreading of a yarn t-herethrough.

13. A casing for use in connection with a balloon-confining foil, whichcomprises a top and a bottom wall and also a front and a rear wall andtwo side walls, all of said walls being interconnected so as to form ahollow block, said top wall havingan opening therethrough for selectiveinsertion of said foil into .and its withdrawal from the interior ofsaid casing, one of said walls being provided with means for removablysupporting said foil, said bottom wall being provided with openingrneansfor permitting the passage of spindle means therethrough, and said frontwall having a longitudinal passage therethrough for permitting thethreading of a yarn therethrough.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,260,212 3/1918Kuderli 57-108 X 2,603,938 7/1952 Rodgers 57-108 X 2,932,936 4/1960Landolt 57108 X 3,086,358 4/1963 Keyser 57-108 FRANK J. COHEN, PrimaryExaminer. D. E. WATKINS, Assistant Examiner.

1. A BALLOON-CONFINING UNIT FOR SPINNING AND TWISTING MACHINES, WHICHINCLUDES: A TUBULAR BALLOON-CONFINING FOIL, AND A BOX-SHAPED CASINGHOUSING SAID BALLOON-CONFINING FOIL AND HAVING A TOP AND BOTTOM WALL ANDALSO A FRONT AND REAR WALL AND TWO SIDE WALLS, SAID TOP WALL HAVING ANOPENING THERETHROUGH FOR SELECTIVE INSERTION OF SAID FOIL INTO AND ITSWITHDRAWAL FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID CASING, ONE OF SAID WALLS BEINGPROVIDED WITH MEANS FOR REMOVABLY SUPPORTING SAID FOIL, SAID BOTTOM WALLBEING PROVIDED WITH A PASSAGE FOR PERMITTING THE PASSAGE THERE-